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Petrify — Pet ri*fy, v. i. 1. To become stone, or of a stony hardness, as organic matter by calcareous deposits. [1913 Webster] 2. Fig.: To become stony, callous, or obdurate. [1913 Webster] Like Niobe we marble grow, And petrify with grief. Dryden. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

petrify — 1590s, from M.Fr. pétrifier to make or become stone, from L. petra rock + ficare, from facere to make, do (see FACTITIOUS (Cf. factitious)). Metaphoric sense of paralyze with fear or shock first recorded 1771 … Etymology dictionary

petrify — verb ( fied; fying) Etymology: Middle French petrifier, from petr + ifier ify Date: 1594 transitive verb 1. to convert (organic matter) into stone or a substance of stony hardness by the infiltration of water and the deposition of dissolved… … New Collegiate Dictionary